The Reality of the U.S in the Vietnam War

What made the experience of listening to A Rumor of War the most enjoyable?

The narration by L.J. Ganser convinced me I was listening to Philip Caputo. Caputo's story is believable and frank. It does not gloss over or dwell on the mistakes of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war nor does it dwell on them. This is a story of political naivety and the reality of being a professional soldier.
As a former soldier of the Vietnam era I could identify with his experiences and empathized with the changes he went through from enlistment to his days of being a war correspondent.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Rumor of War?

The near mental breakdown when Philip Caputo started to visualise all around him as corpses.

What about L. J. Ganser’s performance did you like?

He sounded like what I would expect Philip Caputo to sound like. He had peculiarities of military jargon down pat. His range voices was true to the individual characters and allowed the listener to immerse themselves in the story and kept the characters different and distinctive.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Caputo realises that his classmate was one of the statistics that he had to record.

Any additional comments?

A fantastic listen and a true to life account of Marine officer's experience in early Vietnam.

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Excellent First Person Narrative

Wonderfully read first person account of a young Marine officer in the early days of the Vietnam War. For us history/military fans, it is a nice break from the dry Generals perspective, to what it is like to be a grunt in the field. Worth the buy.

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You have to stay with it

The first half of the book documents the boredom of the war in painful detail and makes it difficult to stay with the book. The second half is much better as more incidents and action occurs. Philip's insightful commentary about the limits of man's endurance and the uselessness of the war is quite unique and while the concepts are far from new, he presented them in a unique & honest perspective of someone who lived the experiences.

I was less than impressed with the narration and, while his delivery was good, the tone of L.J. Ganser's voice was not appealling for me. Others may not share my view and I suggest you sample it first. Finally, the frequent, silly, vocal war noises do not help the book and are distracting.

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Howie

After listening to Mr.Caputos' book I have only one word, which is used in the Marine Corps.
That word being "OUTSTANDING"!

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Couldn't stop listening

What did you love best about A Rumor of War?

Gritty realism of combat

What did you like best about this story?

Transformation of Caputo's view on war

Which scene was your favorite?

Many were memorable, none stand out

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

None

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Want Vietnam? You got it

The events within this book will stay with you for quite a long time. Vivid descriptions of jungle life and what the soldiers felt are told in easy to understand ways. However, I cannot say that this beats "Dispatches." Yes, you do get a first hand account of how hard soldiers had it, BUT, I have to say I felt more "emotion" with Dispatches. A Rumor of War is a good book, although not my favorite Vietnam book. It's definitely worth a try if you're searching around for a good wartime novel. I swear I've heard the narrator on some voice over on goofy blooper shows and commercials. I just didn't feel he "fit" the overall message the story was trying to portray.

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OK but.....

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

As Viet Nam vet i would not recommend it to those wanting to learn more about that conflict.

Would you recommend A Rumor of War to your friends? Why or why not?

I would not recommend it highly as it is not written with pop.

Have you listened to any of L. J. Ganser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was A Rumor of War worth the listening time?

It was worth it to me because as a Viet Nam vet I had a proper frame of reference. THis is not done in a historical framework.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy a more historical approach.

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Not sure it holds up

I've read a good number of books and memoirs from Vietnam, not sure how I am just getting around to this one. Its a good book, especially in its very vivid descriptions of Caputo's military experience. However, the vast majority of these accounts I felt like I've seen in dozens of movies or subsequent books. (ie The new troops arriving in Vietnam and seeing body bags going out. The old jaded troops looking at the fresh new troops coming in. Its the first ten minutes of PLATOON!)

I know this isn't Caputo's fault and can understand that the book might have been groundbreaking on its release. But in the epilogue, Caputo says his goal was to have written a book which his great grandchildren could read and still find an impact. I'm not sure this book quite lives up to that. Its not as strong as the subsequent Vietnam stories it may have paved the way for.

The biggest issue with the book is that it is not so much a story as a series of events strung together and described. Calling it a memoir doesn't change the fact that this makes the book less compelling. I recently read Jim Webb's FIELDS OF FIRE which was released at the same time and I think was just an overall better book because it had a better narrative.

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Excellent

An enthralling account of life as a soldier in Vietnam, told with an honesty that endears you to the author despite the sometimes graphic nature of the details. By his own admission, Caputo wanted to shock people with this book and there were a lot of occasions where he succeeded for me. There is no sugar coating, nor tales of his own heroics, just a decent account of a soldier and his comrades and the events that contributed to the deterioration of their mental state.

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Very powerful. Really tells it as it was.

I was blown away by this book. The text was incredibly strong. Everything was described fully and with precision. It was gripping and fascinating. I really felt that I was hearing the whole truth, because he includes many incidents that sound like war crimes, including incidents that he was involved in and put on trial for. In some ways it was difficult to listen to, but I felt that as an American who was a young child during that war, I needed to know.

The war, as Caputo tells it and I understand it, was a terrible mix of good intentions on the part of some, and arrogance, foolishness and dreadful judgment by many. It is hard to come to terms with the waste and loss. I wish it hadn't happened... yet on a personal note, my sister-in-law's father was an officer in the South Vietnamese army and they fled to the US in the early 1970s. If not for this stupid and tragic war, she, and hence my nephew and niece, would not be part of my family. So I can't wish it hadn't happened and anyway, of course, my wishes regarding past events are meaningless. It did happen.

The narrator was excellent. Something about his voice-- the confident and controlled delivery, I think-- suited the material to a T.

I only came across this book because it was included in one of Audible's promotions. I'm grateful because it made a huge impression. One of the more memorable books I've experienced in the past several years.

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